Matchday 34 of the EPL season is in the books, and we’re here to review it, identify the big takeaways, and examine the markets.
Liam Rosenior’s hot start to his time at Chelsea wasn’t enough for him to get through five consecutive defeats in the EPL. The front office made the decision to let him go following their 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Sean Longstaff scored in the 97th minute for Leeds United to secure a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. The Cherries looked set to rise to 6th on the EPL table, but dropped more points from in front. Only Newcastle (25) have dropped more points from winning positions than Bournemouth this season.
An Erling Haaland goal after only five minutes kept Manchester City at the top of the Premier League, beating Burnley 1-0. While not pretty, all that matters for Pep Guardiola’s side right now is collecting all three points.
Still part of the relegation battle, Nottingham Forest thrashed Sunderland 5-0. Trai Hume’s early own goal triggered an onslaught as Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus all scored before the break. Later, a Ryan Sessengnon goal is all that could separate the two sides as Fulham beat Aston Villa 1-0.
Despite the recent questions surrounding Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool, they’ve won three EPL games on the bounce following their 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace. Finally, Alexander Isak was able to showcase his quality to score the opener.
19 – Since the start of 2022-23, the players who have opened the scoring in the most Premier League games:
37 – Erling Haaland
21 – Ollie Watkins
19 – Alexander Isak, Mo SalahUnlocked. pic.twitter.com/hvSHceK2iP
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 25, 2026
It took a Callum Wilson stoppage-time winner to stay out of the relegation zone, but West Ham will finish another week ahead of Tottenham Hotspur on the back of their 2-1 over Everton. Elsewhere, Tottenham finally won a game in 2026, beating lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0. It didn’t come without problems, though, as Xavi Simmons became the latest Spurs player to be ruled out for the rest of the season.
Knowing the lay of the land after City picked up three points earlier in Matchday 34, Arsenal got back to their winning ways with a 1-0 win over Newcastle. Naturally, Arsenal getting back to their best involved a goal from a set piece as Eberechi Eze whipped one into the top-left corner.
Arsenal now hold the Premier League record for the most goals from corners in a single season (17). https://t.co/isRmXDNCe3
— Jason (@SportsJO13) April 27, 2026
An early Casamiro goal put Manchester United in front as they dominated possession to start the match. A second before halftime put them in the box seat to beat Brentford 2-1 and finish Matchday 34 at 3rd on the EPL table.
3 Takeaways From Matchday 34
Rosenior Sacked
Having started his tenure at Chelsea with so much promise, Liam Rosenior has been sacked. The chaos at Chelsea since the ownership change continues…
It was only 12 matchdays ago that he secured a dream start with a 2-0 win over Brentford. There was even a hint of a new-manager bounce. But 12 matchdays is a long time in the EPL, and with five consecutive defeats without scoring a goal, Rosenior has been sent packing.
It’s the first time in club history they have lost five matches in a row without scoring since November 1912. They failed to generate a shot on target on Matchday 34 to produce an embarrassing 0.38 expected goals. It caps off a nine-game run in which only Tottenham have won fewer points than Chelsea.
They’re now out to $4.33 to finish inside the Top 6.
Tottenham Keep Within Touching Distance
It had to happen eventually…
This Tottenham squad is too good on paper to be in the relegation zone, and proved to be too good on the field to beat Wolves 1-0. Although it wasn’t particularly convincing when they set the goal of winning five games in a row to finish the season.
Nonetheless, winning one allowed Spurs to avoid their worst winless run in the league since 1935.
Joao Palhinha isn’t a prolific goal scorer, but he scored his fourth of the season when it mattered most. Perhaps most telling for Spurs overall is that only Richarlison has scored more (9).
Joao Palhinha securing a vital @SpursOfficial victory 👏 pic.twitter.com/PvqpD2a5ny
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 26, 2026
With Simmons now out and playing on the road, Tottenham are $2.95 outsiders to beat Aston Villa on Matchday 35. As the reality of a possible relegation sets in, we’re finally starting to see a response for Roberto De Zerbi’s side to be $2.10 to avoid relegation.
EPL Title Race Odds
The EPL title is a two-horse race with a month left of football to play.
At the top and in form, Manchester City are on the first line of betting to lift the trophy at $1.83. Arsenal are leading now, but are slight $1.90 outsiders to avoid what will go down as one of the biggest bottle-jobs in Premier League history.
We’re at the point where final placings may not be determined by points. Per the Premier League Handbook, placings would be determined by the following:
- goal difference
- goals scored
- points won in head-to-head matches
- away goals scored in head-to-head matches
- a playoff match
There are also other competitions to consider. Arsenal remains in the Champions League and will need to navigate a home and away tie against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, City will play in the FA Cup final and still have two matches against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace to reschedule and crowbar into the remainder of the season.
Next up in the EPL, Arsenal host Fulham as $1.40 favourites while City travel to Everton, where they’re expected to leave with all three points ($1.45).